BlurayMMA.com

This past Saturday night Britain’s Cage Warriors promotion held their latest show at the HMV Forum in London. The event was originally meant to air live, free to air, on subscription channel Premier Sports, but when one of the technical bods at the channel forgot to flick a switch or something those not wanting to sit in front of their computers only got to see the final thirty minutes of the show, which meant that yours truly couldn’t do his usual day after review.

Realising their mistake, Premier Sports quickly went into action, announcing that the show would be aired for free this past Monday night.

So a few days later than planned here’s my review of Cage Warriors 44.

The show began with the big boys of the heavyweight division as Dayman Lake faced Rab Truesdale.

Lake came forward early on, scoring with the immediate takedown. It wasn’t long before he tried to take Truesdale’s back, with the ensuing scramble seeing Lake take the card.

Within seconds Lake moved into position so he could apply an arm triangle, with Truesdale tapping within seconds. An impressive and dominating performance from the Englishman.

It was down to lightweight for the next fight as Kevin Donnelly took on Brad Wheeler.

This was one of the best technical fights I’ve seen this year. Although both guys looked good in the striking department they really shone when they went to the ground.

Donnelly put on a good ground display in the first and the early parts of the second, although Wheeler looked equally as impressive while defending off his back.

Wheeler began to work his way back from the second round onwards, taking Donnelly’s back late in the second and taking it again in the third, locking in a body triangle and synching in a rear naked choke for the very impressive submission win.

Featherweight action followed as Ashleigh Grimshaw went up against Graham Turner.

Having witnessed three rounds of great ground action we were now treated to three rounds of great striking action.

Both men looked tremendous as they exchanged combination after combination, with Grimshaw getting the better of the kicks, as evidenced by the big red mark on Turner’s left leg.

Grimshaw had further success in the third round when a big right staggered Turner, but overall it was great to watch.

So with the fight going the distance it was down to the judges as Turner took the split decision. You can’t really argue with that, although I thought that Grimshaw had just edged it.

The next fight was a catchweight encounter, made at 181 pounds, between Jack Mason and Brian Foster.

This was a quality return for the American. After being taken down by Mason for a few seconds Foster was soon on the offensive with a big slam, delivering an overhand right as he postured up.

After they returned to their feet Foster connected with a devastating spinning back kick to the body that doubled Mason over. Foster then pounced on his man, locking in a standing guillotine for the impressive submission win.

The main event saw Ivan Musardo taking on Joseph Duffy for the Lightweight title.

Once again the best was saved for last, as well as being a perfect example of how momentum can change in an instant.

For nearly four full rounds Duffy looked on top, especially in the striking department. While Musardo seemed to be looking for the big punch all the time Duffy was more fluent with his combinations and his kicks, staggering the Italian on more than one occasion.

But as the fourth round drew to a close Duffy slipped when he went to kick Musardo’s leg. Musardo pounced immediately, locking in a guillotine choke within seconds, taking the submission win from out of nowhere.

In conclusion – after Saturday’s technical problems I was glad that I finally got the chance to see this show, because having been fed a staple diet of Ultimate Challenge (or is it Cage Rage again now?) and BAMMA over the past few years I’m glad that Cage Warriors shows are now readily available on British television again.

This was a quality show, every fight delivered, with the encounter between Duffy and Musardo the fight of the night for me, and having seen two of their shows since their re-launch a year ago I can see why a lot of fans prefer Cage Warriors to their illustrious counterparts.

So in all Cage Warriors 44 gets the big thumbs up for what was a great show, and hopefully when they return in November the powers that be at Premier Sports will remember that the show is meant to be free to air!

Don’t forget to visit my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. The site contains articles and fiction dating back over 20 years, and you can also find a link to The Two Sheds Review Facebook group as well!

MMA is turning up in some strange places on television these days, and this review proves that point as we take a look at a new British promotion, World Fighting Championship, and their debut show, A New Beginning, shown on music station Channel AKA this past Wednesday night.

The broadcast began in the middleweight division as Geoff Snelling took on Piotr Ptanski.

Ptanski began the action with an early take down, delivering a few shots to the ribs while Snelling looked for submission opportunities.

And that was all we saw of this fight. Technical problems meant that the screen pixilated and the signal was lost for the next few minutes. The next thing we saw was a happy looking Ptanski at the end of an interview, so I’m guessing he won.

It was up to light heavyweight for the next fight as Christopher Malcolm took on Chad Brown.

Two guys looking to make inroads early in their careers put on a very entertaining battle.

Brown began the first with a Superman punch attempt, only to find himself on the end of a Malcolm take down.

From there we saw some solid back and forth action, with Brown gaining the upper hand as the round came to an end.

Brown secured the win early in the second. After beginning with another Superman punch he connected with a short right hand, with Malcolm dropping like a sack of spuds as Brown took the knockout win.

The first title fight followed as Alexandre Izidro faced Tim Radcliffe for the vacant Lightweight title.

This was a very intriguing battle early on. There was an extensive feeling out period lasting into the final minute of the first round.

The action continued in this way through the second, with only a big slam from Izidro standing out.

When the third started Radcliffe took control, knocking Izidro down with a big left and sealing the deal with an anaconda choke.

More technical problems followed, but thankfully no fight action went unseen, so it was on to the next fight as Kevin Jennings faced Dawid Farycki in the bantamweight division.

This semi-pro bout saw Farycki score with the early take down into side control. He then quickly transitioned into position to he could apply a reverse triangle for the submission win.

More light heavyweight action followed as Neil Bittong went up against Robert Kreceski.

I really enjoyed this one. The first round was filled with excellent back and forth action, with plenty of transitions on the ground and some nice striking exchanges.

The pace slowed a little in the second as Kreceski took control on the ground, and in the final minute he tired Bittong up, taking the TKO win with a succession of unanswered blows to the head.

The main event saw Henrique Santana taking on Danny Mitchell for the vacant Welterweight title.

Having been told by our announcers that this fight probably wouldn’t go to the ground early Santana promptly scored with the take down to counter Mitchell’s early jabs.

For the next two rounds Santana put in a solid and workmanlike performance, and in the dying seconds of each of those rounds he took Mitchell’s back, looking for the rear naked choke.

Having had a point deducted for an illegal up kick in the second Mitchell upped his game in the third, taking control from his back as Santana visibly tired. But it was too little too late, and as the fight ended Mitchell commented on how he would have gone further if the fight had been a five rounder.

So it was down to the judges to decide the outcome, all three giving the fight and the title to Santana.

In conclusion – despite the technical difficulties the WFC’s debut show was a pretty enjoyable affair.

I really enjoyed the fights I saw, with the Santana/Mitchell the highlight of the show for me.

Production-wise it was okay, nothing overly flashy and the sort of standard you’d expect from a British MMA company. However, I’m not sure about the font they use for the logo. It’s too similar to the UFC’s, and in the long term they could come across as a poor man’s UFC when they should be trying to establish their own unique identity.

But apart from that somewhat minor grip I’m giving WFC the thumbs up. Let’s hope they can keep their momentum going in the lead up to future shows.

As British MMA is going to feature heavily in this column in the next week what better way to start than with a retro review?

So let’s go back in time to Portsmouth, July 27th, 2003 and the fourth Cage Warriors show, entitled UK versus France.

We begin with Rob Mitchell against Glen Appleby.

This one got off to a fast start, with Appleby countering Mitchell’s initial onslaught with a take down.

However, it wasn’t long before Mitchell took control, going for a couple of submission attempts as well as unleashing with the ground and pound.

Appleby looked out of it at the end of the round, and when he didn’t come out of his corner at the start of the second Mitchell was given the stoppage win.

Then it was on to Graham Day against Gav Bradley.

Bradley began the fight by running out of his corner and getting the early takedown. But after Day managed to get to his feet it wasn’t long before he took control on the ground, keeping the pressure on with strikes before taking the submission win with a guillotine.

The next encounter, described as a “UK lightweight Superfight” saw Dave Elliot taking on Andy Butlin.

A quick affair saw Butlin start with a couple of kicks before the fight went to the ground, but as Butlin tried to posture up Elliot locked in an arm bar for the submission win.

Up next were Ricky Moore, who only took the fight that morning, against Guillaume Monono in the first of the UK versus France fights.

A very intriguing battle saw Monono getting the early take down. Moore soon reversed the positions and got in some good shots, but it wasn’t long before Monono regained control.

The Frenchman went for a triangle choke, but when Moore tried to slam his way out it only succeeded in helping Monono tighten his grip, with Moore tapping out seconds later.

The international action continued as Andy Cooper faced Mohamed Khacha.

The first fight to actually make it into the second round saw Khacha dominate after he got the quick take down, swelling Cooper’s right eye as he went to work with the ground and pound.

But the roles were soon reversed in the second round. Khacha tried to carry on where he’d left off until Copper took control, taking Khacha’s back, flattening him out and synching in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

Then we saw another one who took that fight that morning, Andy Lagden, against Laurent Bonnafoux.

Like others before him Bonnafoux took the early take down, controlling the fight until Lagden was able to reverse into side control.

Seconds later both men returned to their feet, and when Lagden connected with a knee to the head in the clinch Bonnafoux went down like a sack of spuds, Lagden getting the impressive knockout win.

None other than future UFC and Strikeforce star Paul Daley was next, taking on Florentin Amorim in only the Brit’s second professional outing.

Daley’s weak ground game has been exposed a few times over the years, and when he slipped while trying to deliver a kick Amorim was all over him, quickly taking Daley’s back.

Daley tried to defend, but it wasn’t long before Amorim synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

Next up was Robbie Olivier, going up against Emmanuel Fernandez.

This final UK/France battle saw Fernandez putting on a good display on the ground. Olivier did a good job of defending at first before taking the guard himself.

However, Fernandez continued to fight as he locked in a triangle choke for the submission win.

Then it was on to the title fights, beginning with Dave McLaughlin challenging Paul McVeigh for the Under 65 kilo title.

A dominant performance from McVeigh saw him begin with a couple of strikes that opened up a cut above McLaughlin’s right eye.

McVeigh then took the fight to the ground, and although McLaughlin got to his feet McVeigh soon took him back down, going to work with the ground and pound. Realising that there was nothing he could do against this onslaught McLaughlin tapped to give McVeigh the impressive win.

Then Paul Sutherland faced Ozzy Haluk for the vacant Lightweight title.

The second fight to go into the second round saw Sutherland take control early on when he took the fight to the ground, and although he put in some good work Haluk did a good job of defending himself.

Sutherland took his game up a notch in the second, again take the fight down and going for the ground and pound. Haluk just couldn’t handle Sutherland’s attack and wisely tapped out, giving Sutherland the title win.

The third title fight saw Adrian Degorski challenging Paul Jenkins for the Welterweight title.

This fight began with a quick exchange before Degorski took the fight to the ground, briefly taking Jenkins’ back before they returned to their feet.

A brief clinch against the cage followed before another exchange of blows, with the Pole dropping the champion with a big right. Degorski followed him down, with the referee stepping in to stop the fight, giving Degorski the title winning TKO win.

The final title fight saw Ross Pettifer taking on Matt Ewing for the vacant Middleweight title.

This was a great back and forth encounter. After jockeying for position in a clinch against the cage the fight went to the ground as Pettifer took control, almost synching in an arm bar.

The frantic action continued into the second, with both fighters going for guillotines until Ewing took control after sweeping Pettifer and taking the guard. Seconds later Ewing took his back, locking in a neck crank for the great submission win.

In conclusion – even though I’ve got quite a few of their shows from their days on The Wrestling Channel it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen any Cage Warriors action.

As this show took place almost eight years ago it was interesting to see how much British MMA has progressed since then. The commentators mentioned that British fighters were having a hard time getting into the UFC, something which is a lot easier these days given the UFC’s global appeal.

All of the fights shown here were pretty decent, and it was good to see Paul Daley in only his second professional fight. I kept wondering though if he’ll ever overcome his weakness in the ground game.

It was also interesting to see tabloid darling Alex Reid serve as referee for some of the earlier fights. Maybe now he’s away from the clutches of Katie Price and the newspapers aren’t fixated on his cross dressing fetish he’ll start concentrating on his fighting career again.

So in all the fourth Cage Warriors show gets the thumbs up, not just for the fights but for this interesting lesson in the development of British MMA.

Before you ask, Cage Warriors are still going strong, and for information on their upcoming shows visit www.cagewarriors.com.

And don’t forget to check out my site at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

British MMA was on the agenda as Ultimate Challenge presented their 19th show, Lights Out, shown this Wednesday on Sky Sports here in Britain.

The broadcast began with action from the welterweight division as Dyson Roberts faced Colin French.

This was an action packed encounter. Roberts rocked French early on with a nice combination. French tried to counter with take down attempts, but Roberts easily defended against these.

From there it developed into a great back and forth battle, with both men going for guillotines at the same time at one point.

After a couple of triangle attempts from French Roberts unleashed with the ground and pound, and as the first round neared it’s final minute French had had enough, verbally tapping to give Roberts the impressive win.

It was down to the lightweight division next as Joe Holder went up against Dejo Lema.

A lengthy feeling out period at the beginning of the fight ended when Holder went for a take down, which Lema managed to defend against for what seemed like an age.

Then the fight suddenly exploded into action when Lema began connecting with strikes. The fight quickly went to the ground where Holder went for a couple of heel hooks. Lema countered with some vicious strikes, while Holder continued with his submission attempts.

Eventually the onslaught was too much for Holder as he verbally tapped to Lema’s final assault.

Light heavyweight action followed as Chris Harman took on Ian Martell.

The experts expected this to be a stand up war, but they were pleasantly surprised when Martell scored with the early take down.

Martell dominated from there, controlling with the ground and pound. Harman tried to escape but Martell soon re-established control.

With Martell taking the mount he soon went back to work with the ground and pound, and when Harman was knocked out for a split second the referee wisely stepped in to stop the fight, giving Martell the highly impressive win.

The first title action of the night followed as Giorgio Andrews and James Lutman fought it out over the vacant Bantamweight title.

Andrews came forward early in this one, Lutman countering with an extended take down attempt against the cage.

Lutman eventually took Andrews’ back, with Andrews soon reversing the positions into the guard.

It wasn’t long before Andrews postured up, and a hard shot to Lutman’s eye was enough, the referee stopping the fight as Lutman grabbed his eye, giving Andrews the title clinching TKO win.

The first of two heavyweight fights followed as Ian Hawkins went up against Marcin Bartkiewicz.

These two behemoths began swinging as soon as the fight began, the brawling only stopping because of a clinch against the cage.

Bartkiewicz then began to unload with the heavy stuff, but try as he might Hawkins just wouldn’t go down.

Hawkins managed to get the take down towards the end of the first, but by then he was too tired to do anything.

Both fighters began the second round looking like they were moving around in slow motion, but when Bartkiewicz got the take down it was all over bar the shouting.

Hawkins just didn’t have any response to Bartkiewicz’s ground and pound, and it wasn’t surprising when the referee stepped in to give Bartkiewicz the TKO win.

The main event saw former strongman competitor Oli Thompson challenging Ben Smith for the heavyweight title.

Unlike the previous fight these two knew how to pace themselves, and it made for a much more enjoyable fight.

These two big guys took it to each other from the outset. Thompson looked great with his take downs, putting in some great work on the ground, particularly with his transitions.

The great action continued into the second round. Smith put in some more good work, although once again Thompson took control with his take downs, eventually taking Smith’s back and locking in the rear naked choke for the submission win.

In conclusion – when I heard that a former World’s Strongest Man competitor was in the  main event I wondered if Dave O’Donnell was going back to his Cage Rage roots and the freak show main events. I also had visions of Mariusz Pudzianowski’s lumbering performance for Moosin MMA a while back.

But with Oli Thompson putting in a great effort to dethrone Ben Smith it once again proved that British MMA is getting stronger every day, and this show was the perfect example of that.

So once again UCMMA gets the big thumbs up from this particular writer. Nice work all round.

Although I do with they’d start releasing their full shows on DVD. Think of the money you could be earning Dave! You’d certainly be having it large!

It was meant to happen last December, but bad weather meant that Stav Economu never got the chance to take on the mighty Bob Sapp. But with former UFC star Paul Daley replacing the Beast and the Crazy Bear in the main event, the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts (BAMMA) returned to live action this past Saturday night with their fifth show, broadcast live on Syfy here in Britain.

The broadcast began with middleweight action as Alex Makhonin faced “Professor X” Xavier Foupa-Pokam.

Many predicted that Xavier would get the win here, but one mistake turned this fight in an instant.

For the majority of the first two rounds Xavier looked good with his strikes and knees in the clinch, although one did stray south of the border.

But then Xavier made an error while going for a take down, with Makhonin landing on top. He quickly took the mount and went to work with the ground and pound, with several busting him open. The referee had no choice but to stop the fight, giving Makhonin the TKO win.

It was up to heavyweight for the next fight as former Ultimate Fighter contestant James McSweeney faced former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez.

A nice three round affair saw some early success from McSweeney as a right hand sent Rodriguez down.

But that was his only real success. From then on Rodriguez dominated on the ground, going for a number of submission attempts, and whenever McSweeney managed to get to his feet Rodriguez took him straight back down again.

So after three rounds it was down to the judges, with all three scoring in favour of Rodriguez.

The main event saw welterweight action as Paul Daley took on Japanese star Yuya Shirai. Originally this was meant to be for the vacant Welterweight title, but when Daley just failed to make the weight it was changed from a five round to a three round affair.

It wasn’t long before Daley went to work in this one, knocking Shirai down with a simple jab. From there it was only a matter of time, with Daley’s trademark left hook sending Shirai crashing for a third time, the referee stopping the fight just seconds later.

The show rounded out with filler material in the form of the welterweight clash between Leeroy Barnes and Mohsen Bahari.

A quick one here which saw both fighters testing the waters a little before a left/right combination sent Barnes down. A short period of ground and pound followed before the referee stepped in after just 40 seconds.

In conclusion – the disruption followed the cancellation of December’s show, as well as the closing down of their previous television home meant that BAMMA had to come back strongly.

They achieved this with their fifth outing. Although we only got to see three live fights, and although it wasn’t as hyped as much as the Alex Reid/Tom Watson affair at BAMMA 4 this show certainly delivered.

Production-wise it was okay, although given a few errors with regards to camera angles it may have been better to put out a two hour highlights show instead of going live. Hopefully they’ll learn from their mistakes when BAMMA 6 takes place in May.

So in all BAMMA 5 gets the thumbs up from me, a worthy edition to British television’s current MMA content, although, like Ultimate Challenge, I do wish they’d consider releasing their full events on DVD. If it works for Cage Wars why couldn’t it work for them?

My final review before Christmas sees us delving into the world of British mixed martial arts again with Cage Wars’ most recent show, Validation, shown this past Tuesday on Sky Sports here in Britain.

The broadcast began in the welterweight division as Victoras Kontrimas faced Chris MacDonald.

Quick stuff here. A brief feeling out period was followed by an overhand right from MacDonald that sent Kontrimas crashing. A quick intervention from the referee and MacDonald had the knockout win after just 20 seconds.

Then it was on to Paul Reed against Simon Neale in the featherweight division.

After the quick knockout it was on to some good ground work as Reed took Neale down early. Both men briefly returned to their feet before Reed pulled guard and took the submission win with a guillotine.

Marvin Aboeli against Tim Ruberg in the middleweight division followed, although the on screen graphic listed Ruberg as weighing in at 200 pounds.

Yet more great groundwork came when Ruberg got the early take down. Aboeli did his best to escape but Ruberg quickly re-established control.

The Dutchman’s only moment of offence came with an up kick when Ruberg postured up, but it wasn’t long before Ruberg took Aboeli’s back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

It was back down to the featherweight division for the next fight as Danny Van Bergen took on Mick Sinclair.

A very interesting back and forth affair saw Sinclair put in some good work on the ground, and when Van Bergen made it obvious he was going for an arm bar Sinclair looked like he had things covered.

That was until Van Bergen locked in a triangle. Sinclair tried to fight it but the inevitable tap out soon came.

It was back to welterweight for the next fight as Simeon Thoresen faced Vaidus Valancius.

More great work in this one. Thoresen took control after an early take down and put on a great display, going for an arm bar before synching in a rear naked choke for the submission win in the final few seconds of the first round.

It was down to lightweight for the next encounter as Tim Estes went up against Hugh Brady.

Estes came into this one with something of a reputation, and although he took control early Brady turned the tables with some nice dirty boxing, getting the knockout win with a big left.

Chris Stringer against Zyad Abada in the lightweight division followed.

This was an excellent display of striking by Stringer. As soon as the fight began Stringer imposed his will, and after several blows Abada’s face began to look a bloody mess.

It was the same story in the second round, and it was only a matter of time before Stringer sent Abada crashing down to the ground, finishing the Frenchman off, with the referee stepping in, giving Stringer the impressive TKO win.

Yet more lightweight action followed as Rich Clementi faced Felipe Enomoto.

The gulf in class and experience was apparent for all to see as soon as this fight began.

Clementi dominated the entire fight, especially on the ground. The Swiss fighter went for a couple of submissions but Clementi easily escaped from these.

The end came in the final stages of the final round. Having failed to put Enomoto away with an arm triangle Clementi locked in an arm bar which Enomoto soon tapped out to, ending what was a very impressive display from the American.

The final fight saw Jeremy Horn taking on Lee McKibbin in the middleweight division.

Another example of the gulf in experience, although that’s something Horn takes into every fight. Horn took the fight to the ground early and dominated. McKibbin managed to reverse the positions but left his head exposed so Horn could apply a guillotine choke for the submission win.

In conclusion – it’s been a while since I’ve seen any Cage Wars shows, and the performances here impressed the hell out of me, especially from the old dogs Horn and Clementi.

The make-up of the show also impressed me, especially the mix of home grown, European and American fighters.

So in all Cage Wars’ latest television appearance gets the big thumbs up from me, another nice slice of British MMA action to welcome in the festive period.

It’s time to take our monthly trip to The Troxy in London for the latest offering from Dave O’Donnell’s Ultimate Challenge promotion, and their latest offering, Showdown, shown on a three day delay on Sky Sports this past Wednesday night here in Britain.

The show began with light heavyweight action as Andrius Juska faced Nick Chapman.

A very quick affair saw Juska connect with the big right hand early on. Chapman countered immediately with a big slam, quickly transitioning to an arm triangle. Juska had no choice but to tap, giving Chapman the impressive win in only his second outing.

UK1 kickboxing action followed as Elijah Grinnell challenged Djo Lema for the Lightweight title.

This fight began with one minute of not much happening until Lema connected with a right, which set up the big knee that dropped Grinnell like the proverbial sack of spuds. The referee stopped the fight immediately as Grinnell’s eye began to swell, with Lema taking the victory and continuing his impressive run.

A highlights package of some of the other fights followed before we returned to MMA action with Lola Bamgbala taking on Jack Mason in the middleweight division.

This was a great fight. Lola scored with a take down early on, looking for the submission. Mason managed to get back to his feet, and as Lola connected with a kick to the body Mason connected with a right that sent Lola crashing. The Nigerian was out of it as Mason secured the knockout win.

The Welterweight title was on the line next as Henrique Santana went up against John Maguire.

There was a bit of bad blood in this one. Santana began strongly, catching Maguire’s kick and taking him down. But after Maguire scrambled to his feet Santana earned a referee’s warning for some of his questionable tactics, including holding on to Maguire’s shorts.

This served to fire Maguire up, and as the fight progressed Santana tried to goad his opponent. Maguire was having none of it though.

Santana began the second with a take down attempt. Maguire countered with a knee that opened up a cut above Santana’s eye that sent blood streaming down his face. By this time the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight, giving Maguire the title winning technical knockout.

The big boys of came out to play for the main event as Kiane Sabet faced Ben Smith in the heavyweight division.

These guys really unloaded with the big blows. It was fought at a frantic pace as Kiane connected with a couple of big knees that would have probably knocked anyone else out.

Smith managed to recover though, and his ground game came to fore as he worked Kiane over. Smith took his back, flattened him out and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win. A great fight, but given the pace it was probably a good thing it finished when it did.

In conclusion – another good show from Dave O’Donnell and his crew with a ton of enjoyable MMA action, even though I’m still not entirely sure about the UK1 kickboxing fights.

There was one thing that kind of irked me though. Normally with these shows there’s a big on screen graphic as the MC makes his final introductions, giving us the vital statistics on the fighters, but for some reason this was missing from some of the fights. It’s not a big thing, but for someone who’s watching Ultimate Challenge for the first time it could probably be a bit confusing. It’s also kind of inexcusable considering it was shown on Sky Sports.

But apart from that I have no other complaints, and with BAMMA’s next show this weekend it will again be interesting to compare these two British MMA promotions.

British mixed martial arts is on the agenda again as Dave O’Donnell’s Ultimate Challenge presented their latest show Invincible, shown on a four day delay on Sky Sports here in Britain this past Wednesday night.

The show began with heavyweight action as Ian Hawkins went up against Mark Potter.

A controversial fight saw Potter cut his taller and heavier opponent down to size with some great body shots. But Potter went too far and kicked Hawkins in the head as he slumped to the ground.

The referee quickly stepped in and disqualified Potter straight away. Potter would surely have won but for that moment of madness.

It was down to the middleweight division for the next fight as Earl Brown faced Jake Bostwick.

Sadly we only got highlights from the first round, and there wasn’t much from the second because Bostwick connected with a big right that knocked Brown out cold, giving Bostwick the KO win. You have to wonder if the near twenty year age difference was too much for Brown to overcome.

After a highlights package from some of the other fights it was on to featherweight action as Tom Dixon took on John Kelly.

A fast paced fight saw both men going all out from the start. Kelly looked like he was going to overwhelm his teenage opponent early on, especially after a big slam, but Dixon came back well, opening up a cut on the bridge of Kelly’s nose.

Round two didn’t last long. A big left from Kelly sent Dixon crashing out before he hit the ground, taking home the knockout win.

Then it was up to lightweight as Brad Wheeler faced Francis Heagney.

A nice technical ground battle saw Heagney get the early take down after a four shot combination, and from there he all but dominated. Wheeler went for a couple of submission attempts but Heagney escaped easily, and with his ground and pound going unanswered towards the end of the round the referee wisely stepped in and gave Heagney the TKO win.

Welterweight action followed as Edgelson Lua took on Jamaine Facey.

This proved to be another great ground battle. Lua put in some good work in the first round, but the extraordinary moment when he took Facey’s back and synched in a rear naked choke, keeping the choke on for what seemed like an eternity. Then, to everyone’s surprise, Facey managed to escape.

They continued with the ground work in the second round with more transitions and reversals before Facey took Lua’s back and unleashed with the ground and pound. Lua failed to respond and it wasn’t long before the referee stepped in and saved him from further punishment, giving Facey the impressive TKO win.

The main event saw Valentino Petrescu challenge Jimi Manuwa for the Light Heavyweight title.

A great striking battle began with both fighters testing the waters early on, but as the fight progressed Manuwa had great success with some knees from the clinch, which set him up for the quick combinations that sent Petrescu crashing to the ground, giving the Poster Boy the title retaining KO win.

In conclusion – on the same night that a certain middleweight fight was happening Dave O’Donnell and his crew once again proved something that we’ve known for some time – that Ultimate Challenge is the best MMA promotion in Britain right now.

All the fights here were highly enjoyable, and I was pleased that we didn’t see any of the UK1 kickboxing fights that drag the show down a little.

So in all another good show, and here’s looking forward to their next outing in September.

We’re going to take another look at British mixed martial arts as I take a final dip into the pile of DVDs that Fight Factory’s Tom Tailford sent me.

This time we’re going to look at the debut (and so far only) show from the Atlas Fighting Championship promotion, held at the Lighthouse in Pool in August 2008, and featuring Tom “Kong” Watson in the main event.

The action began with Lee McKibbin going up against Gareth Burbridge. A fast paced fight saw McKibbin score with the first take down, although Burbridge soon tied him up and immobilised him.

It wasn’t long before Burbridge reversed positions, but McKibbin countered by going for an arm bar, and after Burbridge slammed his way out McKibbin had no answer to his ground and pound, with the referee saving him from further punishment, giving Burbridge the impressive TKO win.

Then it was on to Simon Hull against Dan Edwards. Another fight that began with the quick take down, this time from Edwards. Hull looked a bit lost as Edwards took his back with ease, although he soon managed to escape.

Both fighters soon returned to their feet, and after some wild shots from Hull Edwards unloaded with the big stuff, and a high kick connected to Hull’s head, sending him crashing down to the mat and giving Edwards the nice knockout win. As for Hull he looked very rough around the edges.

The big boys were up next as Jeremy Rowlett faced Pao Zoro. Two very inexperienced fighters here. Rowlett was making his debut, and was giving up seventy pounds to his French opponent.

No ground work here to speak of, just a bit of wild swinging, with Rowlett getting the better of this particular duel as Zoro fell to the ground in stages. Rowlett followed him down, and quickly sealed the deal with a knockout win, with Zoro receiving medical treatment for several minutes afterwards. Well, it was a bit messy, not the most technical fight I’ve seen, but Rowlett got the win nonetheless

Daniel Abrol took on Nayeb Hezam next. The fourth fight in a row not to make it out of the first round saw some good ground work from Hezam, quickly taking Abrol’s back and synching in a rear naked choke for the submission win. Now while Hezam looked great, Abrol looked equally as bad.

Phil Harris against Mourad Benshegir followed, the first fight to make it past the opening round.

This proved to be a very intriguing battle, with good performances from those concerned. Harris looked very crisp with his judo throws and ground work, while Benshegir’s ground work only really came to the fore in the third, by which time both fighters looked exhausted.

The judges were called on to render a decision here, with Harris getting the unanimous vote in one of the highlights of the show.

The second fight in a row to make it past the first round saw Peter Duncan take on Daniel Thomas.

Duncan put on a dominant performance here, controlling the fight on the ground. However, late into the second Thomas was able to gain control, and it wasn’t long before he’d locked in a guillotine choke for the submission win. A very good fight here, and another of the highlights.

Normal service, meaning one round fight action, resumed as Ash Gamble took on Yahya Lalanne.

Gamble, making his debut here, looked like a fish out of water as Lalanne quickly took the fight to the ground. He was able to transition at will, and soon moved into a position where he could apply a kimura for the submission win. A good performance from the Frenchman, although you can only really work with what’s put in front of you.

The penultimate fight saw Chris Stringer against Altinezio Neto Minerio. This great fight saw Minerio counter Stringer’s crisp striking with a leg trip. From there we had an exciting ground battle, with plenty of reversals and submission attempts before Stringer was able to take Minerio’s back, locking in a rear naked choke. Impressive stuff.

The main event saw Lloyd Clarkson taking on the Kong man himself, Tom Watson.

This was definitely worth it’s spot on the card, an exciting striking battle with occasional forays into the ground war.

Clarkson put on a good display, but as good as he was Watson was just that much better, and although he suffered a nasty cut himself Watson bloodied Clarkson’s face with some great knees from the muay thai clinch.

Nobody expected Clarkson to survive, but survive he did, and with the fight going the distance the judges were called upon again as they gave Watson the unanimous decision. A great fight, and a fine example of what old Kong is all about.

DVD extras come in the form of a photos section and a musical highlights video.

In conclusion – while there were a few performances that didn’t exactly set my pulse racing, I have to say that this was a good show, and the best one that Tom Tailford gave me to review.

Production-wise it’s you usual standard for a promotion of this size, and unlike Tom’s other DVDs this one contained commentary, from Leigh Remedios and Gareth Piper, although it was difficult to hear what Remedios was saying because his microphone was turned down so low.

The commentary was okay, but I found it annoying when Piper kept referring to some of the fighters as “the Irish guy” or “the French guy”. It was as if he hadn’t learned how to pronounce some of their names.

But overall, while this isn’t up to the standard of a BAMMA or Ultimate Challenge show, it’s still a good spectacle.

With thanks to Tom Tailford for supplying a copy of this release. Atlas Fighting Championship 1 can be purchased by contact Tom via his website, www.fight-factory.co.uk.

It’s time to look at British mixed martial arts action again as we take a look at the latest Ultimate Challenge show, Feel the Pain, shown this past Wednesday on Sky Sports here in Britain, presented by Jason Barrett and Dave O’Donnell, with Rob Nutley, Pierre Guillet and Malcolm Martin handling commentary duties.

The opener saw UK1 kickboxing action as Ashley Pollard faced Mahcin Bahtkiewicz for the Heavyweight title. It was interesting to that they once again used MMA-style gloves instead of traditional boxing gloves. This was a very one sided fight. Mahcin came forward from the opening bell, raining down a torrent of blows as Pollard crumbled. Kicks to the leg sent Pollard down for two eight counts, and when he went down for a third time the referee wisely stopped the giving, giving Mahcin the impressive title win.

After a brief highlights package showing some of the other fights, the kickboxing action continued as Djo Lema faced Scott Jansen for the vacant UK1 Lightweight title. This one had quite a reserved start until Lema suddenly sprang into action, with a big right sending Jansen down for the count. A very good performance from Lema here.

The MMA action began with Jason Ball against Tim Radcliff in the lightweight division. A very enjoyable three rounder saw Radcliffe take control in the first, setting up the take down with a few kicks to Ball’s legs. Once he took it to the ground he put on a tremendous showing, transitioning at will and going for a few submissions. Ball came back well in the second, cutting off the cage well and moving Radcliff into position so he could unload with the big right. The third round was a more even affair, with Ball continuing his good striking work before Radcliff once again took control on the ground. All three judges gave the fight to Radcliff, and although the scores weren’t announced, it would have been interesting to see how close they were.

It was up to the middleweight division for the next fight as Chris Greig went up against Jack Mason. A very cagey fight saw Mason go for a couple of take downs in the first. Greig was able to escape with east, and he soon gained the upper hand in the striking game. It was pretty much the same at the beginning of the second, until Mason pulled guard as he synched in a guillotine choke for the submission win. An interesting fight, but not the most explosive one I’ve seen on an Ultimate Challenge show.

The main event saw the big boys coming out to play as Darren Towler faced Ben Smith in the heavyweight division. With the size of these two it was obvious that this fight wouldn’t go the distance. Smith got the early take down, but Towler quickly reversed and showed some good ground work. Smith soon regained control, and after some ground and pound he took Towler’s back and synched in the rear naked choke for the submission win, ending a very good fight.

In conclusion – another very enjoyable outing from Dave O’Donnell and his crew here. There were some really good fights here, although I must admit that even though I quite like them, I’m starting to find the inclusion of the UK1 kickboxing fights a little bit of a turn off. After all, it does say MMA on the marquee as it were, and I’d rather see more MMA fights on an MMA show.

And did we have to have so many shots of Alex Reid and Katie Price sitting in the audience? That’s one tabloid couple I could do without!